Fly and Spin Fishing: The perfect tools for low impact harvest offish

One of the questions that has frequently come up in the discourse on
pure catch and release (fishing solely for sport) versus fishing with
the primary goal to be food, especially natural food and complementary
exercise, is that there is mortality, stress and injury to the stock
of fish regardless of the initial goal. There is no such thing as zero
mortality.

It is a statement of fact that there is incidental mortality in the
commercial harvest of food that we all eat at the table. In some cases
this is extreme. For example long-lining and netting is know for
killing porpoise, turtles and other species not targetted by the
fisherman. Trawling and purse seining are completely indiscriminate,
not only catching and killing anything and everything unlucky enough
to be in the path, but also damaging the very ecosystem in which they
live. As a volunteer veteran of the US Coast Guard doing fisheries
patrols in the Bering, the extent of the damage by, especially, the
Japanese and Korean fishing fleets was immense. Still all of us who
consume seafood are guilty of this abuse. Trotlines, jugs and all
forms of baited hook offerings also kill, indiscriminately.

Enter the flyrod and spinning fisherman. With a rod, line and single
or double hook and with lures sized and selected specifically for the
target species, placed in the ecosystem niche favoring the targeted
species we not only minimize incidental by-catch, we also minimize
mortality in our efforts.

Thus it can be stated with no small degree of factuality that
flyfishing and fishing with barbed treble hooks on spinners and spoons
is the lowest impact of incidental damage to the fishery possible,
with the slight exception of spear fishing, which would not only
target the species but also the exact fish that is being harvested.

It is, put more simply and eloquently perhaps, the perfect tool for
the harvest of fish for the table.

Thoughts?

Halfordian Golfer
Guilt Replaced the Creel

On Fri, 25 Apr 2008 10:19:44 -0700 (PDT), Halfordian Golfer
wrote:

It is, put more simply and eloquently perhaps, the perfect tool for
the harvest of fish for the table.

In Japan a type of fly fishing called Tenkara was developed when the country was
still isolated, independent of western influence. It's kind of a wet fly
dapping, high stick nymphing, method of fishing and was used by commercial
fishermen in the mountains of Japan because it was a more efficient way of
fishing than bait fishing. The rods and flies they used are pretty neat. fwiw
--
Charlie...
http://www.chocphoto.com

On Apr 25, 1:36 pm, Charlie Choc
wrote:
On Fri, 25 Apr 2008 10:19:44 -0700 (PDT), Halfordian Golfer
wrote:

It is, put more simply and eloquently perhaps, the perfect tool for
the harvest of fish for the table.

In Japan a type of fly fishing called Tenkara was developed when the country was
still isolated, independent of western influence. It's kind of a wet fly
dapping, high stick nymphing, method of fishing and was used by commercial
fishermen in the mountains of Japan because it was a more efficient way of
fishing than bait fishing. The rods and flies they used are pretty neat. fwiw
--
Charlie...http://www.chocphoto.com

Very, very interesting and appreciated. If you stumble across any pics
or more information it would be great.

Thanks,

Halfordian Golfer

On Fri, 25 Apr 2008 10:52:56 -0700 (PDT), Halfordian Golfer
wrote:

Very, very interesting and appreciated. If you stumble across any pics
or more information it would be great.

Here's a good site: http://itow.com/amago/b-streams/flytying/tenkara.html and
Google will show you even more. ;-)
--
Charlie...
http://www.chocphoto.com

On Apr 25, 1:56 pm, Charlie Choc
wrote:
On Fri, 25 Apr 2008 10:52:56 -0700 (PDT), Halfordian Golfer
wrote:

Very, very interesting and appreciated. If you stumble across any pics
or more information it would be great.

Here's a good site:http://itow.com/amago/b-streams/flyt...enkara.htmland
Google will show you even more. ;-)
--
Charlie...http://www.chocphoto.com

Nice. Thanks for the read, very interesting. I also found it
interesting that they categorized the flies by region and that the
regional flies were, largely, differing. I guess that would indicate
variance in the naturals found in those regions more than any other
factor?

Your pal,

Halfordian Golfer

On Apr 25, 3:46 pm, Halfordian Golfer wrote:
On Apr 25, 1:56 pm, Charlie Choc
wrote:

On Fri, 25 Apr 2008 10:52:56 -0700 (PDT), Halfordian Golfer
wrote:

Very, very interesting and appreciated. If you stumble across any pics
or more information it would be great.

Here's a good site:http://itow.com/amago/b-streams/flyt...enkara.htmland
Google will show you even more. ;-)
--
Charlie...http://www.chocphoto.com

Nice. Thanks for the read, very interesting. I also found it
interesting that they categorized the flies by region and that the
regional flies were, largely, differing. I guess that would indicate
variance in the naturals found in those regions more than any other
factor?

Your pal,

Halfordian Golfer

We've got some great books on fishing in Japan, if you are
interested. All orders are 10% off through the end of April. Visit
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http://www.theanglingbookstore.com/s...d=japan&page=2

At The Angling Bookstore, you can buy from people you know, who know
fly fishing.

www.theanglingbookstore.com

HG - very interesting and trenchant analysis. Adding to Charlie's
thoughts about Tenkara, I recall that French anglers who ffished for
the market (making a living, not sport fishing) use wet flies. Their
technique of presentation is crucial: they take care to deliver the
wet just behind the shoulder of the target trout, which hears/senses
the incoming, turns and reflexively grabs the fly.
This too must be more efficient than bait fishing.
HG - one reason I gravitated to flies when I was learning to fish
with sunnies was to eliminate the bait by-catch, as it were. I
couldn't see the logic of killing a beneficial worm for sportfishing
the sunnies.

tl
les

On Apr 29, 8:00 am, lestrout wrote:
HG - very interesting and trenchant analysis. Adding to Charlie's
thoughts about Tenkara, I recall that French anglers who ffished for
the market (making a living, not sport fishing) use wet flies. Their
technique of presentation is crucial: they take care to deliver the
wet just behind the shoulder of the target trout, which hears/senses
the incoming, turns and reflexively grabs the fly.
This too must be more efficient than bait fishing.
HG - one reason I gravitated to flies when I was learning to fish
with sunnies was to eliminate the bait by-catch, as it were. I
couldn't see the logic of killing a beneficial worm for sportfishing
the sunnies.

tl
les

Very interesting. Do you know if the French anglers were restricted in
thier catch methods by regulation?

Your pal,

TBone